The distressed squirrels were administered an anesthetic. Veterinarians covered them with a towel to keep them calm and untangled the tails like a knotted ball of twine. The process took about an hour.

The squirrels became tangled from sticky tree sap and could have starved or been eaten by predators if not separated, the paper reported. Though not common the group apparently has to respond to a similar call about once every two years.

Although the six babies were doing fine, some parts of their tails were damaged while stuck together and will require surgery, the paper reported.